I only ran for a short while before coming to a stop. Gon, who caught up quickly, bumped into my back—well, technically, my bag—and asked, "Why'd you stop?"
"First reason," I said, "I don't want to wear myself out too fast. Second..." I reached into my bag and pulled out my MP3 player, slipping on my headphones. "I wanna vibe a little."
With a small smile, I hit play. "Country roads, take me home..." The familiar melody filled my ears as I started walking again. Not long after, Kurapika and Leorio caught up. Leorio was slightly winded.
"Let's just take it slow," Leorio panted.
"Fine by me," I said, matching their pace.
As we walked, I kept singing softly, letting the lyrics carry my thoughts. To my surprise, everyone started complimenting my voice. Even Leorio nodded with a smile. "That's a classic. I know that song too."
Kurapika chimed in, "For someone who's always training, I didn't expect you to sing that well. Then again… considering how many voices you can mimic, I should've known."
Well, I thought, fighting and physical training aren't my only talents. I've mastered a lot more than people realize.
Song after song played as we made our way through the forest, the atmosphere calm and lighthearted. I paused when we stumbled upon a lake, stopping the music on my MP3 player and slipping it into my pocket. Luckily, the water looked clean. I crouched down and began filling up my massive water bottle while the others did the same. I took the longest—mine was easily the biggest.
Once we were all ready, we set off again.
Leorio, now more relaxed, glanced at me. "Y'know... maybe I'll get myself an MP3 player after this Hunter Exam."
I gave a thumbs-up. "Good call."
We continued walking until Leorio couldn't take it anymore.
"'Walk two hours,' she said? That was two hours, two hours ago! Are we ever gonna make it to the exam site?"
He stopped moving and began complaining non-stop.
Gon: "Leorio, we'll leave you behind!"
Max: "Don't worry, we're getting close. I see a cabin up ahead."
Leorio: "Really?"
Kurapika: "You're right. I see it too."
Leorio: "Finally! We can meet the navigators. What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
We arrived at the cabin. Leorio knocked on the door.
Leorio: "Hello? Anyone home?"
Gon: "Are they out?"
Max: "I'll check the window."
Peeking through, I saw a magical beast and a wounded man. I immediately dropped my bag and kicked the door open.
Everyone was shocked at first, but once they saw the scene inside, they understood and got ready for a fight.
Leorio: "It's a magical beast!"
Kurapika: "A transforming magical beast—the Kiriko! They can take human form. They're extremely intelligent!"
I dashed toward the beast, ready to punch, but it was holding a girl as a hostage.
Gon: "There's a woman in his arms! Stop your attack, Max!"
Max: "Tch, I didn't see the girl."
Max stopped his punch just in time, his fist only a mere inches away from the girl. Seizing the opportunity, the beast kicked him. The blow didn't hurt, but it was enough to push him back. Then, the creature made its escape through the back window.
Max: "Damn it. First time I see a magical beast, and it gets away."
I turned to the wounded man, but something felt off. The wound was large, yet there wasn't much blood—and the scent pf the blood was oddly familiar. Still, I pushed the thought aside for now.
Max: "I'm good at almost everything, but I'm no doctor. Anyone here got healing experience?"
Leorio: "Don't worry, I got this."
Leorio examined the man.
Leorio: "He needs medical attention..."
Man: "Please... save my wife..."
Kurapika: "Leorio, we'll leave the injured man to you."
Max: "I'll stay too. I can cook some porridge—I have plenty of food in my bag. Also, I found something that needs investigating."
The man flinched slightly when I said that, but no one else seemed to notice.
Kurapika: "Then we'll leave it to you both. Gon and I will chase after the Kiriko."
Leorio: "Got it."
They left. While Leorio focused on the wounded man, I began cooking. As the porridge simmered, I thought:
Max (thought):"When I almost hit the girl the magical beast was holding hostage, I noticed something strange. The beast looked worried—not for itself, but for the girl, even if just for a moment. And the attack it launched at me? No killing intent. Not to mention that wound on the man… there's barely any blood."
I investigated the spot where the man had collapsed, finding a small trace of blood. I tasted it.
Max: "Knew it. This is pig blood, not human."
Leorio stepped out after finishing up with the fake wounded man.
Leorio: "I'm off to find some Midoguba herb for him. Stay here and keep an eye on him."
Max: "On it. Say, can the guy move or hold things?"
Leorio: "No, he shouldn't be able to move or even hold something steady. You'll have to feed him."
Max: "Got it."
I brought the porridge to the man.
Max: "Leorio said you can eat by yourself."(He lied.)
Man: "Thank you."
He took the bowl and ate normally, no trembling, no struggle. My suspicion was confirmed.
Man: "This is the best porridge I've ever had. Are you a chef?"
Max: "You could say that. You seem a lot calmer now."
Man: "Yes… thanks to Mr. Leorio. He reassured me my wife would return safely. I trust him."
Max: "Yeah... your wife will return safely—just not as a human."
He froze, spoon mid-air.
Man: "What are you talking about? My wife is human."
Max: "Don't bullshit me. I know you're a magical beast."
Man: "...Since when?"
Max: "Back when I went to punch the beast, he shielded himself with the girl—but the look on his face wasn't fear for himself. He was worried I'd hit her even if only for a moment. He did counterattack, yeah, but there was no killing intent. That wasn't a hostage situation. I'm betting that girl's his daughter."
Man: "That's still not enough to prove I'm one of them."
Max: "Your wound's fake. You're supposed to be badly injured, but there's barely any blood. And the spot where you collapsed? There's still a little blood left, so I tasted it to tell the difference. I've got experience with butchering cows, pigs, chickens, and more, so I know the smell. And I was right. It's pig's blood. Your bleeding are fake too."
He went quiet, but I wasn't done yet.
Max: "Also, Leorio said you couldn't eat on your own—your hands would be shaking. But look at you. Holding that bowl like nothing's wrong."
I stepped forward, cracking my knuckles.
Max: "Now that the truth's out, I'm knocking you the hell out."
The man dropped his porridge and backed away.
Man: "Wait, wait! Don't! Calm down! This is all part of the test!"
Max: "A test? So you are with the Hunter Exam?"
Man: "Well… partially. We'll explain everything once my family gets back."
Just then, the door swung open.
Leorio: "Hey Max, I got the herbs! How's the—what the hell is going on?!"
He stared at me, fist raised, standing over a man still bandaged up like a patient. It caused a misunderstanding.
After a short while, Gon and Kurapika returned, not with just the girl, but with two magical beasts—turns out, they were all magical beasts.
The magical beasts explained everything.
Kiriko Husband: Hmm... How many years has it been since someone could tell us apart?
Kiriko Wife: I'm so happy!
Leorio: Wait—can you guys tell their faces and voices apart?
Kurapika: No... not at all.
Max: Same here.
Gon: The one Kurapika and I beat up is the husband.
Leorio & Kurapika (thinking): Which one are you talking about...?
Kiriko Husband: Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are the Navigators. Our family provides support for the Hunter Exam.
Kiriko Daughter: I'm their daughter.
Kiriko Son: And I'm their son.
Leorio: Man, you really had us fooled.
Max: Yeah, I can't believe you used your daughter as a shield just to sell the act. Does she even approve of that?
Kiriko Wife:He WHAT?!
Kiriko Husband: I didn't have a choice! It all happened so suddenly! I'm sorry, daughter...
Kiriko Daughter: It's okay, Dad. Everything turned out fine in the end.
Max: But still, what if—just what if—my attack actually landed? You should've known my body's as hard as iron!
Kiriko Husband: You would've been disqualified on the spot.
(Max gulps.)
Max (thinking): Damn... I really almost hit him, even if I held back and had no intent to kill.
Max: Honestly, if you didn't make that worried face, I might not have figured it out. But that look... and your lack of killing intent gave you away.
Kiriko Husband: "Hooh... So you can sense killing intent, huh? I guess there's no point in putting on an act with you. Well, if that blow had connected with my daughter, I would've attacked you for real—with full killing intent and then You'd be disqualified either way."
Max: Technically, that's your fault if your daughter got hit.
Kiriko Wife: Don't ever do something like that again, dear! We're lucky these guys are good people. What if you try that trick on the next applicants and our daughter gets hurt?
Kiriko Husband: Yeah... You're right. I'm sorry. It was just all so sudden.
Kiriko Daughter: Don't worry, Mom. I've already accepted this role. I'm okay with it.
Max: Well, alright. You guys can carry on.
(The Kiriko Husband sighs but quickly continues.)
Kiriko Husband: The Hunter Exam changes location every year. It's incredibly difficult to find.
Kiriko Wife: That's why we Navigators help guide applicants to the site.
Gon: Ah, so that's how it works!
Kiriko Daughter: But we don't help every candidate.
Kiriko Son: We test them first to see if they're qualified.
Kiriko Daughter: Kurapika-dono.
Kurapika: Yes?
Kiriko Daughter: You figured out we weren't husband and wife, using the vaguest of hints—these tattoos. In this region, they signify that a woman is single for life. You're clearly knowledgeable and observant. Therefore, you pass.
Gon: Nice one, Kurapika!
Kurapika: Thanks.
Kiriko Son: Leorio-dono.
Leorio: Uh... yeah?
Kiriko Son: You never figured out my identity. But you treated my wounds faster and more thoroughly than any doctor we've seen. And more importantly, you kept reassuring me that my 'wife' was safe.
Leorio: S-Stop it… You're embarrassing me...
Kiriko Son: Your kindness makes you worthy of taking the Hunter Exam. You pass.
Leorio: R-Really? Thank goodness...
Gon: You did it!
(Gon and Leorio fist bump.)
Kiriko Husband: Gon-dono.
Gon: Yes!
Kiriko Husband: Your superhuman strength and sharp observation skills make you worthy. You pass.
Gon: Yosh!
(Gon fist bumps Kurapika and Leorio.)
Kiriko Son: And finally... Max-dono.
Max:gulp
Kiriko Son: Yours is the longest assessment. Dad?
Kiriko Husband: "You were the first to react when you saw us through the door window. You kicked the door open to throw me off, catch me off guard. You possess superhuman abilities—possibly even greater than Gon's. You sensed that I wasn't attacking with the intent to kill, read my expression, and stopped your punch just in time before hitting my daughter. That level of control is impressive."
Kiriko Son: You showed excellent deductive skills—lying about what Leorio said just to gauge my reaction. Instead of feeding me like you were instructed, you let me eat on my own to see if I could hold the food normally. You also identified me based on the amount and type of blood—and even tasted it to confirm it was pig's blood, thanks to your experience as a butcher. And to top it all off, your cooking was outstanding.
Kiriko Husband: It's an obvious pass.
Max: YES SIIIIIIIR!!
The three of them held out their fists, and of course, I fist-bumped them—slowly.
Kiriko Husband:Ahem I'd like to have a private word with Max-dono. You three can wait outside.
Gon: Sure.
Leorio: Okay.
Kurapika: All right.
Max: You didn't even hear my suggestion yet...
Kiriko Husband(whispering to Max): You have Nen, don't you?
Max: Ok i will come
Max follows him into the cabin.
Kiriko Husband: So you really do have Nen.
Max: Yup.
Kiriko Husband: That explains it. I could sense a huge amount of aura—but only from your armor or those weights. Are you a Conjurer?
Max: No, I'm an Enhancer. What you felt is my "Nen Weights"—they're specialized training tools. They force me into a constant Zetsu state while automatically adjusting their weight to match my physical condition. It's brutal, but effective.
Kiriko Husband: That makes sense. I only felt aura from the equipment, not from your body.
Max: So what's this about?
Kiriko Husband: You didn't tell your friends about your powers?
Max: Nope. They'll figure it out on their own.
Kiriko Husband: Why keep it secret?
Max: Well I'm bad at explaining things. That's all.
Kiriko Husband: Fair enough I respect that. You didn't even use Nen during our fight.
Max: "I prefer a fair fight when facing good people, especially since you didn't use nen against us. But if it's a bad guy? I'll fight as dirty as I need to. Honestly though… I only fight if there's no other choice."
Kiriko Husband: That's admirable. Now, the reason I called you here: would you mind turning off your "Nen Weights" for the rest of the exam? I don't think I can carry you while you're wearing them. Just tell your friends you left them here—we can return them to you after the exam.
Max: ...Fine. I don't really have a choice anyway, right?
Kiriko Husband: Thank you.
Max deactivates the Nen Weights, then rejoins the group.
The others gave me curious looks.
Gon: What did you two talk about?
Max: Secret.
They didn't press further.
Gon glanced at me, noticing the weights were gone.
Gon: Huh? Where'd your weights go?
Max: I left them behind. The Kiriko will deliver them after i either finish or fail the exam. For now… it's time to get serious.
Max thought:I'll still try to stay in Zetsu, state unless I run into another Nen user.
Gon: Fair enough
Kiriko Husband: Alright, we'll take you to the exam site now.
The Kiriko family took flight, carrying us through the air on the journey to the Hunter Exam site.
Gon: Isn't it great that we all passed?
Kurapika: It's too early to celebrate. We've only earned the right to take the real exam.
Leorio: What's wrong with celebrating a little? We are making progress.
Kurapika: Honestly, you people really need to think things through.
Leorio: Hey! Why do you always have to be such a smartass?!Leorio snapped, flailing mid-air and nearly throwing off the flight.
Kiriko Son: Stop moving around! You're messing up our balance!
Kiriko Daughter: If you fall, that's on you.
Leorio quickly settled down, muttering under his breath, while Gon burst out laughing.
Max: He's not wrong, though. The real exam is going to be much harder than this. We could even lose our lives.
Leorio: I'd say our lives are at risk—but not you. You're way stronger than the rest of us. I admit it.
Kurapika: I agree.
Gon: Yeah, me too.
Max: Even the strongest can die if they let their guard down. So let's just stay focused, alright?
All: Got it.
And so, their journey continued...